HINDU  WOMEN 


AND 


THEIR  HOMES. 

Bi 

MRS.  HELEN  JACKSON. 


Read  at  the  Newburg  (N.  Y.)  District  Mission's-' 
Convention,  Oct.  20th,  1880. 

« 


$1.00  pei-  hundred  copies. 


RINDGE  LITERATURE  DEPARTMENT, 

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HINDU  WOMEN  AND  THEIE  HOMES,. 


BY  MBS.  HELEN'  JACKSON. 

The  most  earnest  wish  of  every  Hindu's  heart, 
is  that  he  may  have  a son  to  perform  his  funeral 
obsequies.  If,  instead  of  a son,  his  wife  gives 
birth  to  a daughter,  he  is  disappointed  and 
angry,  and  his  displeasure  is  wreaked  alike  on 
the  wife  and  the  unfortunate  babe.  Another 
reason  for  the  dislike  he  shows  his  daughter,  is 
in  the  expense  which  must  be  incurred  on  her 
behalf.  She  must  be  married — there  is  no  escape, 
from  it ; and  that  marriage  means  the  expendi- 
ture of  large  sums  of  money  among  the  well-to 
do,  and  of  utterly  impoverishing  those  who  are 
poor,  for  they  must  mortgage  all  they  own,  and 
borrow  money  at  a high  rate  of  interest,  often 
leaving  debts  for  their  sons  or  grandsons  to  pay 
off. 

It  is  not  common  for  a Hindu  to  manifest  any 
regard  for  his  daughter.  She  must  keep  out  of 
the  way.  For  the  first  few  years  of  her  life  she 
has  scanty  food  and  scantier  raiment.  She  has 
no  toys,  and  almost  no  idea  of  play.  If  she 


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goes  to  school  she  is  carried  there  in  a closely 
covered  conveyance  borne  on  the  shoulders  of 
men  who  earn  their  living  in  that  way.  When 
she  is  five  or  six  years  of  age,  and  in  families  of 
rank  much  earlier  than  that,  she  is  formally  en- 
gaged, and  this  betrothal  is  as  binding  as  the 
marriage  ceremony  itself.  Neither  of  the  con- 
tracting parties,  as  a rule,  has  any  voice  in  the 
matter.  The  overtures  of  marriage  come  from 
the  bride’s  father  and  are  made  through  the 
barber.  This  may  seem  a singular  matrimonial 
agent,  but  no  other  would  do  as  well.  The 
father  cannot  leave  his  work,  and  the  barber 
who  visits  his  customers  frequently  in  their  own 
homes,  shaving  the  heads  of  male  members  of 
the  families,  becomes  acquainted  with  the  circum- 
stances of  those  families.  He  shaves  only  those 
in  the  same  caste,  and  a word  of  explanation  just 
here,  may  not  be  amiss. 

Caste,  means  the  religious  position  a man 
holds.  A Brahmin’s  son  is,  like  his  father,  a 
Brahmin,  and  in  this  position  of  hereditary  priest- 
hood he  is  considered  superior  to  all  others. 
Should  a prince  meet  a Brahmin,  he  will  get 
down  from  his  horse  or  conveyance,  and  make 
the  most  humble  salutation  before  the  priest, 
though  the  latter  may  be  a beggar.  After  the 


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Brahmins  come  the  soldier,  the  merchant,  the 
farmer  and  the  mechanic,  and  others  still  lower. 
None  of  these  may  inter-marry.  They  cannot 
eat  or  smoke  together,  and  each  grade  despises 
the  one  beneath  it. 

The  barber,  then,  is  sent  out  on  his  mission. 
He  may  perhaps  travel  many  miles,  visiting  dis- 
tant cities,  before  he  finds  a husband  for  the 
little  girl.  The  husband  may  be  a lad  of  tender 
years,  or  a man  old  enough  to  be  her  grand- 
father. She  may  be  the  first  and  only  wife,  or 
the  third  or  fourth.  In  any  case,  her  opinion  is 
never  asked,  and  she  cannot  rebel. 

If  the  search  be  satisfactory,  the  betrothal 
ceremonies  are  performed,  and  the  little  girl 
now  makes  visits,  at  stated  times,  to  the  home  of 
her  husband.  All  boys  bring  their  wives  home 
to  the  father’s  house.  If  the  father  is  not  liv- 
ing, the  home  is  made  with  the  elder  brother  or 
uncle,  so  that  in  one  zenana  twelve  or  fifteen 
women  may  have  their  homes. 

This  little  girl  is  not  at  any  time,  before  the 
actual  marriage,  seen  by  the  husband.  During 
the  day,  while  the  men  and  boys  are  away,  she 
mingles  freely  with  the  women  of  the  house,  but 
when  the  men  return  she  draws  her  little  veil 
closely  about  her  and  keeps  out  of  sight.  When 


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she  is  twelve  years  old,  the  marriage  takes  place 
A feast  is  made  in  which  all  the  cooking  is  done 
by  the  Brahmins,  so  that  all  who  are  bidden  may 
eat  without  fear  of  contamination,  which  would 
not  be  the  case  if  the  food  were  prepared  by  a 
regular  cook.  The  feast  extends  from  seven  to 
fourteen  days.  Kelatives  and  friends  are  called 
in,  the  house  is  swept  and  garnished.  At  night 
the  building  is  outlined  in  lighted  lamps  from 
cornice  to  floor.  Sometimes  English  guests  are 
invited ; dancing  girls  and  jugglers  entertain  the 
company,  to  whom  costly  presents  are  some- 
times given.  Outside  the  house  many  beggars 
are  seated.  Though  tin  bidden,  they  neverthe- 
less claim  their  portion  of  food,  and  sometimes 
fifty  or  more  of  these  men  and  women  will  haunt 
a house  during  the  whole  period  of  the  festivities, 
receiving  twice  a day  a liberal  portion  of  food. 
On  the  fourteenth  day  the  bridegroom  comes. 
It  is  not  considered  proper  for  him  to  walk  to 
his  wedding,  so  he  goes  mounted  on  an  elephant' 
camel,  horse,  or  carried  in  a sedan-chair.  The 
herse,  however,  is  the  most  general  means  of 
locomotion.  It  is  usually  white,  elaborately 
ornamented  with  green  and  gold  6pots,  with  a 
large  necklace  of  beads  about  its  neck,  and  with 
mane  and  tail  dyed  a most  brilliant  red. 


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On  a gayly  decorated  saddle,  without  stir- 
rups, the  bridegroom  sits.  His  feet,  stockingless, 
but  thrust  into  green  and  gold  or  scarlet  slip- 
pers, approach  the  ground.  A white  cap  heavily 
embroidered  with  gold  is  perched  jauntily  on 
one  side  of  a head  which  positively  glistens  with 
a liberal  anointing  of  cocoanut  oil.  In  front  of 
him  march  native  musicians  dressed  in  cast-off 
English  regimentals,  playing  on  broken  and 
abandoned  brass  instruments — all  playing  the 
treble  and  making  the  most  startling  noises  that 
ever  saluted  mortal  ear.  Behind  him  are  male 
friends,  followed  in  turn  by  servants  bearing 
on  their  heads  trays  of  fruits,  sweetmeats,  jewelry 
and  dresses,  quite  often  paid  for  by  the  father 
of  the  bride.  This  party  does  not  approach  the 
bride’s  home  till  nightfall.  The  women  of  the 
house  go  out  to  meet  the  bridegroom  and  lead 
him  into  the  women’s  apartments,  where  the 
bride  is  seated  on  a little  raised  platform.  He 
sits  beside  her.  The  priest  comes  to  them  with 
a small  portion  of  cooked  rice  which  they  eat 
sitting  together  for  the  first  and  only  time  in 
all  their  lives.  A prayer  is  recited,  the  veil  or 
shawl  which  the  bridegroom  wears  about  his 
shoulders  is  knotted  to  that  which  the  bride 
wears,  the  ceremony  is  over,  and  the  little  girl 


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takes  leave  of  her  childhood's  home,  never  to 
come  back  to  it  unless  she  should  become  a 
widow.  She  is  taken  to  her  home  in  a covered 
conveyance.  There  has  been  no  attempt  at 
beautifying  the  home  which  is  to  be  hers.  It 
is  only  one  little  room  six  feet  square  and  as 
many  high,  with  clay  floor  and  walls  and  thatched 
roof.  The  only  furniture  is  a rude  cot  without 
sheets,  pillows  or  mattress,  furnished  perhaps 
with  one  cotton  comfortable.  A small  wooden 
box  in  which  her  clothing  is  kept;  a rude  clay 
vessel  filled  with  oil,  and  in  it  a twisted  cotton 
wick;  a few  brass  dishes;  an  earthen  fire-place  in 
one  corner,  and  a mill,  are  all  that  the  room  con- 
tains. The  fourth  side  of  the  room  is  entirely 
open  to  the  courtyard  which  is  common  to  all  the 
inmates  of  the  zenana.  A bamboo  screen  hangs 
in  the  opening,  but  it  is  little  or  no  protection 
against  wind  or  rain,  heat  or  cold.  The  little 
child-wife  comes  in  to  be  a sort  of  general  ser- 
vant to  the  other  women,  and  especially  to  her 
mother-in-law.  She  must  also  take  upon  her 
little  shoulders  all  the  burden  of  preparing  her 
husband’s  food.  In  ordor  to  do  this  she  rises 
very  early  in  the  morning  and  grinds  the  wheat 
from  which  the  bread  is  made.  This  is  done 
every  day.  The  mills  are  two  flat  round  stones, 


» 


one  above  the  other,  similar  to  those  spoken  of 
in  Scripture.  Two  women  grind  together  till 
all  is  done,  then  each  takes  her  own  portion, 
kneads  it,  flattens  it  out  between  her  hands,  and 
bakes  it  on  an  iron  saucer  which  is  turned  upside 
down  over  the  lire.  She  also  prepares  vegetables 
with  spices  and  mustard  oil.  When  she  has 
baked  a sufficient  number  of  cakes  she  calls  her 
husband,  who  at  this  time  may  be  on  the  house- 
top smoking  his  pipe  and  exchanging  greetings 
with  his  neighbors  in  the  streets  below.  This, 
the  only  cool  place  to  be  found,  is  reserved  for 
the  men.  No  woman  is  allowed  to  mount  the 
stairs  that  ascend  to  the  roof.  The  wife  calls  her 
husband,  but  not  by  his  name.  That  is  too 
good  for  her  to  use.  He  is  to  her  only  a des- 
potic master,  and  as  such  she  addresses  him. 
Should  they  have  sons,  he  is  called  by  the  name 
of  the  eldest.  He  comes  down  and  washes  his 
head,  face,  mouth,  hands  and  feet,  takes  his  seat 
on  a mat  which  is  kept  for  him,  and  eats  his 
food.  While  the  meal  is  iu  progress,  the  wife 
retires  to  a corner  of  the  room  or  yard,  turns 
her  face  to  the  wall  and  sits  in  absolute  silence. 
It  would  be  the  height  of  rudeness  for  her  to 
watch  her  husband  while  he  eats.  If  he  finds 
himself  very  warm  he  calls  her  and  she  stands 


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behind  him  and  fans  him  till  he  is  ready  to  go. 
After  he  is  gone,  she  gathers  up  the  cold, 
uninviting  fragments  and  eats  them.  If  nothing 
be  left,  she  prepares  more  for  herself.  When 
the  meal  is  over,  she  washes  the  dishes  with 
water  and  a little  sand  from  the  courtyard.  Her 
work  is  now  practically  over  until  the  time  to 
prepare  the  evening  meal.  There  are  thousands 
to  whom  only  one  meal  a day  is  possible. 

The  day  is  passed  in  sleeping,  or  talking  with 
the  women  of  the  house,  and  in  making  offerings 
of  rice  and  flowers  to  the  household  gods.  If 
the  season  be  unhealthy,  she  prays  to  the  god- 
dess of  small-pox  or  of  cholera,  that  her  home 
may  be  spared.  She  also  prays  that  she  may 
not  become  a widow,  for  that  is  the  sum  of  all 
misery  to  her. 

Her  position  in  the  house  is  inferior  to  that  of 
the  horse  or  cow.  She  is  a soulless  chattel,  and 
her  husband  has  all  authority  over  her,  beating 
her  if  dissatisfied  with  her — often  for  little  or  no 
cause,  and  she  is  taught  to  rejoice  even  in  his 
displeasure  ; to  be  meek  and  quiet  at  all  times  ; 
when  he  is  sad,  to  be  in  the  depths  of  despair  ; 
when  he  is  happy,  to  be  in  ecstasy ; and  in  every- 
thing to  be  subject  to  his  will.  The  husband  has 
no  idea  of  rational  conversation  with  his  wife. 


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If  lie  wishes  to  talk  he  seeks  the  society  of  his 
masculine  friends  or  relatives.  The  wife  is  never 
treated  with  any  respect  or  consideration.  If  she 
fail  to  give  birth  to  a son,  she  may  be  divorced, 
and  there  is  no  appeal  against  1 he  decision  of  her 
cruel  master.  She  is  liable  to  be  put  out  into 
the  street  to  take  care  of  herself. 

Not  long  ago  such  an  one  came  to  the  magis- 
trate of  the  town  in  which  she  lived,  and  on  her 
knees  besought  him  to  compel  her  husband  to 
support  her.  His  answer  was,  “ There  is  no 
redress  ; the  law  allows  your  husband  to  divorce 
you.”  And  so  she  was  turned  away  helpless 
and  homeless. 

As  mothers  these  women  are  unhappy . Their 
daughters  are  a source  of  sadness — a reason  for 
brutal  and  contemptuous  treatment  on  the  part 
of  the  husband.  Their  sons  are  taught  to 
despise  them,  and  when  a boy  is  old  enough  to 
use  vile  and  abusive  terms  to  his  mother,  the 
father  is  delighted  with  his  son's  precocity  and 
speaks  of  it  to  his  friends. 

When  disease  comes  to  these  women,  it  finds 
them  all  unprepared.  They  are  cut  off  from 
medical  help,  unless  rendered  by  a lady  physi- 
cian, as  no  respectable  woman  would  consent  to 
be  looked  at  by  a man  not  of  the  household; 


and  if  she  were  willing,  her  husband  would  not 
allow  it.  She  might  die  in  untold  6ufferings 
and  he  would  not  break  through  his  rales.  A 
sick  woman  is  regarded  with  suspicion,  as  having 
sinned  and  incurred  the  displeasure  of  the  gods. 
Naturally  the  women  of  the  house  are  timid 
about  approaching  her,  and  so  it  happens  that 
the  poor  sufferer  is  uncared  for.  If  burning 
with  thirst,  she  must  herself  procure  the  refresh- 
ing water;  if  faint  from  hunger,  she  must  pre- 
pare her  own  food.  Many  women  die  for  want 
of  the  commonest  attention.  They  have  no 
idea  of  caring  for  themselves.  To  these  poor 
invalids  the  medical  lady  missionary  comes  as 
an  angel  of  mercy.  Her  hand  tenderly  touches 
the  aching  head  or  supports  the  sinking  frame. 
Her  voice  in  loving  accents  whispers  in  the 
bewildered  ear  the  story  of  love  and  grace  and 
mercy  even  for  a hated,  despised,  lonely  woman. 
When  such  help  does  not  come,  the  6oul  passes 
into  the  very  blackness  of  darkness  without  one 
ray  of  hope  or  expectation  for  the  future. 

When  widowhood  overtakes  these  women  they 
feel  that  now  indeed  they  are  forsaken,  cursed  by 
the  gods  and  left  forlorn.  The  wife  of  the  bar- 
ber is  the  chosen  agent  in  the  initial  act  of 
cruelty  to  a widow.  When  the  sick  man  or  boy 


13 


is  about  to  die,  there  are  in  waiting  from  four  to 
six  of  these  women.  As  he  expires,  they  rush 
upon  the  widow  and  tear  from  her  ears  and  nose 
their  jewels.  The  bangles  and  bracelets  which 
cover  the  arms  are  violently  broken  off,  and  she 
is  thrust  into  a dark  room  there  to  remain  till 
the  body  of  the  dead  is  ready  to  be  burned. 
None  of  the  women  of  the  family  dare  to  come 
near  lest  they  too  partake  of  the  curse  and  be- 
come widows;  but  from  them  all  are  heard  words 
of  hatred  and  cursing  instead  of  sympathy. 
She  must  not  speak  or  weep,  but  must  bear  in 
silence  all  the  bitter  reviling  of  the  relatives  of 
the  dead.  In  a few  hours  all  is  ready ; the  dead 
body  is  borne  out  by  hired  bearers  on  a rude 
bier  covered  with  cloth.  Closely  following  come 
the  professional  mourning  women,  who  wail  and 
beat  their  breasts  as  they  go.  Behind  them 
walk  the  male  relatives,  followed  by  the  women 
of  the  family,  all  closely  veiled,  while  two  hun- 
dred feet  in  the  rear  comes  the  poor  little  widow, 
sometimes  such  a child  that  she  does  not  know 
why  she  is  so  treated ; for  should  a boy  or  man 
die  immediately  after  the  betrothal  ceremonies 
6he  is  held  responsible  and  is  a life-long  widow. 
The  barbers’  wives  beep  up  a continuous  cry  of 
“Beware  of  this  accursed  widow!  Keep  away. 


14 


lest  evil  befall  you!”  And  so,  regarded  by  all 
with  scorn,  she  goes  wearily  on  till  they  reach 
the  place  of  burning,  which  is  always  near  the 
water,  either  a river  or  tank.  She  is  pushed  into 
the  water,  there  to  remain  till  the  relatives  have 
bathed  and  worshiped,  and  washed  and  dried 
their  clothes.  The  dead  body  is  placed  on  the 
wood  which  has  been  in  readiness  several  days, 
and  is  often  composed  of  the  costliest  kinds,  such 
as  ebony  and  sandal  woods.  The  son  or  brother, 
who  has  previously  had  his  face  and  head  shaven, 
lights  the  wood  and  watches  the  burning  body. 
When  half  consumed,  the  bones  are  broken  to 
facilitate  the  burning.  The  ashes  are  gathered 
and  carefully  moulded  into  a little  image  which 
must  be  kept  with  the  utmost  care.  The  widow  is 
now  taken  out  of  the  water.  If  dead,  they  praise 
her,  and  say  of  her  that  she  has  gone  to  wait  upon 
her  husband.  If  living,  she  is  dragged  home  in 
her  dripping  garments  and  again  pushed  into 
the  dark  room,  where  she  must  stay  for  fourteen 
days  and  nights  in  utter  silence  and  alone.  The 
children  of  the  family  bring  food  and  fling  it  to 
her,  but  the  women  are  afraid  and  only  speak  tc 
her  in  cursing.  Widows  have  actually  starved 
to  death  in  the  midst  of  abundance,  because  their 
relatives  were  afraid  to  go  near  them. 


15 


On  the  fourteenth  day,  the  male  relatives  take 
the  image  of  ashes  to  the  river-side.  There  it  is 
set  up,  worship  is  made,  and  offerings  of  food 
and  money  are  placed  before  it.  Only  after  this 
ceremony  is  the  soul  supposed  to  find  a new 
home.  Should  any  accident  prevent  the  per- 
formance of  these  services,  the  soul  would  travel 
on  through  all  eternity  a relentless  demon  per- 
secuting every  one  with  whom  it  came  in  con- 
tact. The  home  which  it  finds  may  be  in  the 
body  of  a man,  an  animal,  a reptile,  a bird,  a fish, 
or  an  insect.  Every  care  is  taken  by  Hindus 
not  to  destroy  life,  and  so  prevent  the  soul  from 
working  its  way  up  and  out,  finally  to  be  ab- 
sorbed into  the  great  Brahm,  who  sits  in  the 
highest  heavens  wrapped  in  contemplation  of 
his  own  greatness.  When  the  ceremonies  are 
•jUite  finished,  the  mourners  return  to  the  house, 
the  widow  is  brought  out  and  clothed  in  the 
mourning  robe,  which  is  usually  of  dark  blue 
cotton.  Her  hair  is  all  shaved  off  and  is  never 
allowed  to  grow  again.  She  has  to  pay  the 
death-dues  to  the  Brahmins — often  a large 
amount.  She  cannot  inherit  anything  from  her 
husoand,  but  must  live  on  alms.  Her  male  rela- 
tives pass  before  her,  each  one  casting  at  her  feet 
a little  money,  and  with  every  gift  a curse.  If 


16 


they  give  her  a large  sum,  and  she  have  no  son, 
she  may  adopt  one  and  become  servant  to  him 
and  his  wife.  She  cannot  live  alone  without  loss 
of  character.  If  she  has  but  little  given  her, 
she  must  spin  for  her  living,  toiling  hard  and 
making  only  six  to  nine  cents  a week.  If  she 
choose,  she  may  go  out  as  a pilgrim,  visiting 
shrines  all  over  the  country,  praying  that  her 
dead  husband  may  soon  become  a Brahmin.  If 
she  stays  with  her  mother-in-law,  she  has  to  be  a 
servant;  if  she  goes  to  her  mother  she  must  be 
a servant  there.  Dark  and  loveless  as  her  life 
was  before,  it  is  absolutely  hopeless  now ; for  she 
may  never  more  be  one  of  the  family,  but  must 
be  a menial;  standing  always  unless  bidden  to 
sit,  never  speaking  unless  first  spoken  to,  never 
taking  part  in  any  wedding  festivity,  or  joining 
the  other  women  in  holy-day  ceremonies.  She 
can  eat  but  once  in  twenty-four  hours,  and  then 
only  the  coarsest  of  food.  There  is  but  very 
little  difference  between  the  wives  of  rich  and 
poor  men.  In  the  one  case  the  work  is  done  by 
servants,  the  wife  has  a better  quality  of  food 
and  more  of  it.  Her  clothing  is  better  and 
her  jewels  are  gold  instead  of  lead  and  wood. 
Of  ordinary  comfort  there  is  none  to  be  found  in 
the  women’s  part  of  the  house.  The  husband 


17 


may,  often  does,  have  an  elegantly  furnished 
room  in  which  are  mirrors,  chandeliers,  carpets, 
curtains  and  easy-chairs;  but  into  that  room  his 
mother,  wife  and  daughter  never  set  foot. 

These  women  sometimes  laugh  and  seem 
merry,  but  their  sad  eyes  never  brighten,  and 
there  is  no  real  rest  or  comfort  for  them.  One 
has  only  to  see  their  tired  faces,  hear  the  whis- 
pered story  of  cruelty  and  infidelity,  to  forever 
dismiss  the  idea  that  the  women  of  India  are 
contented  with  their  lot. 

It  is  with  a feeling  of  relief  that  I turn  to 
those  women  to  whom  the  Gospel  has  come. 
Think  of  the  joy  of  learning  that  Jesus  died  fo1 
them,  and  that  they  may  have  hope.  We  have 
a bright  example  of  the  power  of  the  Gospel  to 
lift  up,  and  ennoble,  in  our  Girls’  Orphanage. 
Most  of  the  girls  came  to  us  in  famine  years. 
Their  parents  were  dead;  they  were  wandering 
about  the  streets  and  were  brought  in  to  the 
magistrates  and  made  over  to  us.  In  the 
Orphanage  they  are  given  a good  education, 
qualifying  them  to  be  teachers  and  Bible-women. 
Some  of  them  become  the  wives  of  native  pas- 
tors. They  are  taught  needle- work  and  various 
kinds  of  handiwork  Others  enter  the  medical 
school,  pass  through  years  of  rigid  training,  and 


18 


graduate  fully  capable  of  ministering  to  the 
wants  of  their  heathen  sisters.  These  girls 
are  all  Christians,  and  are  bright  and  happy ^ 
loviDg  and  contented.  The  older  girls  have 
charge  of  the  little  ones,  being  responsible  for 
their  order  and  cleanliness.  Each  girl  also  ha." 
to  take  her  turn  in  the  kitchen,  and  so  they  all 
know  how  to  cook  and  care  for  their  homes  and 
families  in  after-years. 

Perhaps  a brief  account  of  an  entirely  differ 
ent  class  of  people  may  be  interesting.  Any  one 
visiting  India  is  impressed  by  the  appearance  of 
numbers  of  men  with  matted  hair  and  wild  face  ) 
smeared  with  ashes  and  nearly  naked.  They 
are  the  devotees  or  religious  beggars.  Many  of 
these  men  take  upon  themselves  vows  of  silence 
and  do  not  utter  a word  for  years;  others  vow 
to  sit  or  stand  in  one  place  for  years.  In  order 
that  they  may  perform  the  latter  vow,  a rope ’s 
stretched  between  two  trees,  and  on  this  the) 
lean.  Their  friends  and  relatives  bring  them 
food  and  water,  and  reverence  them  as  holy  men. 
Others  expose  themselves  to  the  heat,  sitting 
with  uncovered  heads  under  the  burning  sun. 
Still  others,  who  fear  that  they  may  be  born 
again  as  serpents,  go  through  a singular  pen- 
ance. They  leave  their  homes,  and  at  the 


19 


threshold  prostrate  themselves  on  the  ground. 
With  hands  extended  above  their  heads,  they 
make  a mark  on  the  soil,  get  up  and  walk  to  the 
mark,  and  again  prostrate  themselves;  and  so  on 
through  weary  days  until  they  reach  the  shrine, 
sometimes  five  hundred  miles  away  from  where 
they  started.  Of  course  rivers  must  be  crossed ; 
and  in  order  to  overcome  this  difficulty  they 
ascertain  the  width  of  the  river.  If  it  is  found 
to  be  a mile  wide,  they  go  back  a mile,  and  cover 
the  ground  again  with  their  bodies.  They  are 
generally  accompanied  by  friends  who  carry  jars 
of  water  from  the  river  Ganges.  In  the  month 
of  November  these  men  may  be  6een  crawling 
through  the  streets  of  Lucknow  in  every  direc- 
tion. The  approaches  to  the  temple  dedicated 
to  this  worship  are  running  with  water  which 
has  been  brought  from  a distance  and  poured 
over  the  idol.  Many  of  these  worshipers  die 
from  exhaustion. 

We  once  met  a man  toiling  painfully  up  the 
mountain  steeps  to  worship  at  a great  temple  in 
the  snowy  range.  His  body  was  covered  with 
heavy  chains,  which  he  wore  as  a type  of  sin. 
These  men  are  most  earnestly  seeking  salvation. 


“Shall  we  whose  souls  are  lighted 
With  wisdom  from  on  high— 
Shall  we  to  men  benighted 
The  lamp  of  life  deny  ? ” 


20 


Two  Hundred  ano  Fifty  Millions  of  Women  Depend 
for  the  Gospel  upon  the  Women  of  the 
Protestant  Churches  of  America. 

Nine-tenths  of  the  contributions  to  Foreign  Missions 
are  given  by  one-tenth  of  the  church  membership,  while 
only  one-half  of  the  membership  give  anything.  The 
average  amount  per  member  is  fifty  cents  per  annum — 
only  the  seventh  part  of  a cent  per  day  for  the  conversion 
of  a thousand  millions  of  heathen  ! An  average  of  five  | 
cents  a week  from  every  member  of  the  Protestant 
churches  of  the  United  States  would  bring  into  the  treas- 
ury during  a single  year,  $16, 500, 000.  Ninety-eight  per 
cent,  of  the  Church’s  contributions  for  religious  purposes 
is  spent  at  home,  while  only  two  per  cent,  is  applied  to  the 
Foreign  Mission  field.  There  are  75,000  ministers  in  the 
United  States,  or  one  to  about  every  600  persons,  while 
only  one  is  allotted  to  half  a million  in  heathen  lands. 
There  are  1,500  counties  in  China  i vithout  a 
single  missionary. 


ENCOURAGEMENTS. 

The  whole  world  is  now  open  for  the  recep- 
tion o-  the  Gospel. 

The  Bible  is  printed  in  230  languages  and  dialects. 

There  are  150,000,000  copies  in  circulation. 

Twenty-five  Woman’s  Boards  in  England  and  America 
are  actively  engaged  in  Foreign  Missionary  work. 

The  number  of  Missionary  Societies  is  ten  fold  what  it 
was  eighty  years  ago. 

The  number  of  converts  is  nearly  fifty  fold. 

The  increased  facilities  for  inter-communication. 

The  diffusion  of  the  English  language. 

Wonderful  revivals,  with  pentecostal  power,  are  fre- 
quent in  heathen  lands. 

The  increase  in  membership  in  heathen  lands  is  thirty 
tir  ies  greater  than  at  home  in  proportion  to  the  number  of 
ministers  employed,  although  the  tests  of  discipleship  are 
of  the  most  trying  nature. 


